Page 51

Xavier

“Della, there’s a hot guy at your counter,” a blond woman loudly calls, staring at me.

There’s no sign of Della.

I grin at her. “Thanks.”

She eyes me curiously. “So, you single?”

“Nope. Happily taken.”

“Shame,” she mutters.

Seconds later, Della pops up from the back, yawning into her hand. “Xavier? What are you doing here?”

She looks tired.

That doesn’t surprise me. Vincent came home mid-morning, also yawning into his hand. He didn’t hear a word of my and Levi’s complaints about him leaving a bunch of candles lit when he took Della home last night.

Idiot couldn’t stop smiling like a lovesick fool.

Levi and I were beyond jealous.

This morning, Vincent said he tried to talk her out of coming to work, but she said she’d agreed to the shift and didn’t want to let anyone down. Good thing too. If she’d stayed home, it would’ve messed with the plans I have for her.

I lean over the counter to kiss her on the lips, and the blonde woman sighs. “Here to pick you up for our lunch date.”

Her nose scrunches, adorably confused. “What lunch date?”

“The one I want to take you out on right now.” I glance at my watch. “We have a booking for one.”

“But I don’t have a break yet.”

“I can sneak you out,” I offer with a wink.

She smiles slightly. “I have to work.”

“No, you don’t. Not if you don’t want to.”

She hesitates.

“I missed you,” I continue, hoping to wear her down.

We have more money than we’ll ever spend.

If Della doesn’t want to work, she doesn’t need to.

I tuck a strand of red hair behind her ear.

“We invited you into our house, and along the way, you became the heart of us. Now you’re gone, and nothing feels the way it should. ”

Her expression is impossible to read. “How does it feel?”

“Like something is missing. We miss you and we want you to come home.”

“It’s not my home,” she whispers.

“But it could be. If you don’t like the glass and the ultra-modern vibes, we’ll pick up our stuff and move it somewhere else. As long as you’re with us, it’ll feel like home.”

“I’m not—” She yelps when an empty perfume box bounces off the side of her head and turns to glare at the blond woman watching us. “Rose? What the hell ?”

"I’m knocking sense into you. After what that man just said to you, you’re taking your lunch break early. I’ll cover your counter.”

“But—”

“Paula doesn’t give a shit as long as customers aren’t kept waiting. Go . Talk to Mr. Hot Stuff. And if you want to do a little more than talk, I won’t say anything if you’re late back.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“We’re on the front counter,” Della hisses as I grin at her friend.

Rose lifts her chin. “Then maybe I’ll inspire these fools to actually buy something instead of just stopping by to use up the samples.”

Della releases a sigh. “Okay, fine. I’ll go. I have my cell if Paula is on a warpath. Call me.”

Her friend waves. “Go.” Her eyes settle on me. “Got any hot alpha friends?”

I shake my head. “Sorry, they’re all taken.”

“They always are,” she mutters.

“Be right back.” Della heads to the back of the store and returns wearing a denim coat over her light blue fitted skirt and short-sleeve blouse.

Outside, on a mild early afternoon, I take her hand and tug her closer.

She blushes. “You don’t have to hold my hand.”

“See, I kind of do.” I lead her down the road. “Has my brother asked you yet?”

She peers up at me. “Asked me what?”

“About you quitting your job and Paris.”

She stops walking. “ Paris ? That was a joke. You didn’t mean it.”

I tug on her hand to get her moving again. “I didn’t mean it before, but I mean it now. Your boss might not mind you going on vacation for a week or two, but they might have a problem with you gone for a month.”

“A month ?”

“There’s a lot to see.” I squeeze her hand. “It’s something I always wanted to do. More than that, I want to show you the world.”

She stares up at me as if she can’t believe it. “You want to take me to Paris? For real?”

“Paris for real.”

Laughing, she leaps into my arms, and I squeeze her, breathing in the scent of her hair.

Arms around my shoulders, she leans back to meet my gaze. “I hate my job and have no clue what I want to do instead, but I can’t live off of you, Xavier.”

I kiss her. “Who says you have to figure any of that out now?”

“But I need to work.”

“No, you don’t. Not if you don’t want to.” I explain. “Vincent earned a lot of money at his job. Like millions. None of us could work for the next ten years, and we wouldn’t starve. And none of us knows what we want to do next. We can figure it out together.”

Her arms tighten around me. “I’ll think about it.” She averts her gaze. “I’m not used to someone taking care of me.”

“Start getting used to it. Whenever you’re ready, say the word. We’ll run away to Paris and figure out what comes next.” I kiss her again. “Come on. You’ve made us late.”

“What’s the hurry?” she asks as I set her down, reclaim her hand, and tug her to move faster. “It’s just lunch.”

“Don’t want them to give away our table,” I lie.

She eyes me curiously, suspicious.

We arrive at the café ten minutes later, and I pretend not to notice Della’s surprise when the server tells us that our party has arrived.

“Xavier?” Della asks me as we weave through the busy café to a quiet corner booth I specifically requested. "What’s this all about? Who?—”

She squeals and drops my hand, flinging herself at the woman with curly blonde hair, who gets up from the table with a smile.

“ River !” Della is probably crushing her.

I can’t help but grin as they hug each other and bounce up and down with excitement.

“This is about giving you something you want,” I whisper to myself.

Their happiness is infectious, prompting other patrons to smile at them.

I’d felt a little guilty not telling Della about speaking to River at Haven Academy, but I didn’t just want to reassure her that her friend was okay. I wanted to show her.

“Come on, ladies," I say, guiding them to our booth once their excitement has eased a bit. "Lunch is on me."

River asks me, "You weren’t just the gardener, were you?" when I put my arm around Della’s shoulder.

“Nope.”

Her gaze slides to Della. “And you weren’t just a student?”

Della grins. “Nope. I’m not even an omega.”

River laughs. “I should have known. Your scent would appear and disappear. Some days it was so strong, and other days it was barely noticeable."

“Perfume.” Della rests her head on my shoulders. “My sister is Everleigh Ashe. I don’t know if you heard about Lawrence Wentworth…”

River’s smile fades. “Yeah. He was involved with the Asylum.”

The server comes to our table, and after we order drinks, soups, and sandwiches, Della tells River what she was doing at Haven Academy, and the sort of alpha she wanted to protect omegas from.

River takes Della’s hand and squeezes. “Thanks for caring so much.” She turns to me. “Is that what you were doing there as well?”

I shake my head. “Not exactly.” I’d prefer not to talk about murder and Ms. Huffman’s fate in a crowded café. “Then I met Della, and she changed my world.”

Della smiles at me, and I can’t help but kiss her again.

“Are you back home with your family?” Della asks River.

River takes a sip from her straw. “No.” She makes a face. “They weren’t happy with me when I left Haven.”

We discover that River ran away from Haven Academy and returned home, where her family gave her an ultimatum: go back to the school or bond with an alpha of their choice.

“I left,” she says. “I’m tired of someone else dictating my future.”

“So, what are you doing now?” Della asks.

River shrugs. “Still figuring things out.”

“Stay with me,” Della urges.

River squeezes her hand. “I appreciate your help, but I’m learning to stand on my own feet. I, uh, found an auto repair shop that’s hiring.”

“ Auto repair shop ?” Della echoes. “You’re going to be a mechanic?”

River’s smile is brief as she shakes her head. “Nothing like that. They’re looking for someone to watch the front desk and type up invoices and stuff. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a job and I’m not proud.”

“When do you hear if you got the job?” I ask.

Her expression is sheepish. “As soon as I work up the courage to apply for it. I keep walking past the shop and the sign is still in the window, so they must still be looking.”

Which means she’s not working. When called me from her cell phone to ask about Della, I’d assumed she was still living at home.

My eyes sharpen on her. “So, where are you staying now?”

She doesn’t meet my gaze. “Just with a friend. Anyway, enough about me.”

I make a mental note to check in with her because I’m not sure she’s being honest with us.

“Well, the offer is there whenever you need it, okay?” Della says, eyes narrowed on her friend, reading the same evasiveness as I did.

“Same goes for me,” I add.

“Thanks.” River smiles.

We spend over an hour eating, talking, and laughing. Della and River exchange numbers, and we leave the café together.

After we say goodbye to River, Della turns to me.

“You convinced her to leave?” she asks, her expression unreadable.

“Yup.”

“And you gave her your number to call you if she ever got into trouble and she needed help.”

“Uh, huh.”

“And you did those things because…”

“That wasn’t the right place for her, or for anyone, especially not as it is now.

There has to be a better way that doesn’t involve changing omegas into someone they’re not.

She wasn’t happy, and I didn’t notice.” I lift her chin gently, meeting her gaze.

"And then I caught a beautiful redhead with these pretty freckled thighs, and something happened to me. "

She blushes, looking around. “You can’t talk about my freckled thighs on the street, Xavier.”

I hold her gaze. “I felt like I was the one falling. You opened my eyes to things I never even noticed before. I started falling then, and I never stopped. I love you, Della Jackson, and I want to build a life with you.”

She sniffs, eyes glassy. “Stuff like this doesn’t happen to me.”

“Stuff like what?” I wrap an arm around her shoulder and draw her closer, tucking her under my chin.

“Candlelit dinners. Hot guys coming into my work and dragging me out for a lunch date.” She stops, stares up at me. “You know?”

“It happens now, and it’s going to keep on happening until you accept that it won’t stop.”

“I love you, too,” she whispers.

I damn near crush her, I’m that fucking happy.

“Will you come with me?”

“To?” I would give this woman the stars if she wanted them.

She peels her face from my chest. “Quit a job I hate so I can start building a life with three alphas that I love?”

I grin at her. “I thought you’d never ask.”